Heating system



0t.3,1944,- c. w.' COLBY 2,359,547

I HEA'TING SYSTEM Filed Nov. 28, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 M @fyi l Y l la l J0 V V V V V V V V V V Oct. 3, 1944. Q w COLBY 2,359,547

HEATING SYSTEM Filed Nov`. 28, ,1941 v2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Oct. 3, 1944 UNITED STATES PATENT DFF ICE lHEAIIING? SYSTEM ClydeW. Colby, Branford,-Conn.

Application'Novemberv 28, 1941,;Serial No. .420,756

4 Claims.

This invention relates to heating systems, and more particularly toa combined heating system and `domestic "hot Water lsupply system, wherein the system is arranged to contain a relatively small volume of water and is connected at yall times .to a water supply such as a city Water system, for example, so that Whenhot water is drawn from the system fior domestic purposes it will lbe replenished from the city water supply.

In connection with hot water heating systems, it is necessary to provide means Vfor Venting the air from .the Aroom radiators so that circulation will not be prevented by the collection of airin theradiators. Usually this is done by providing a valve upon .each of the radiators, and the valve mustbe .opened to vvent the air therefrom. Such an .arrangement is an inconvenient one, and requires that each radiator-be .Vented individually, necessitating ,a trip -toeach Vof the rooms ofthe houseor building in which ,the heating system is installed. -It is also desirable .that the radiators be flushed out and purged of any foreign particles that -may collect therein.

One object of thepresent inventionistoprovide a heating system of the character described, having means for flushing l.all of Ythe radiators from a central point.

A stilifurther object of the invention .is -the provision yof a hot Water heating `systemcf vthe character described, wherein .the .return pipes carrying water from the radiators toward `.the heater are directed intoaso-called -return header, whereby each ofthe radiators may be individually iiushedout at a pointl adjacent the return header so `that this operation may `he conveniently carried out at this positionfor fallofthe radiators attached to the heater.

A still further object of the invention is .to provide a hot Water heating lsystem in constant communication with a source of. `fresh Water supply, whereby hot water may be .drawn from the system yfor domestic purposes, and to provide for the flushing of each of the radiators individually in such a manner that the flushing operation may be controlled from one point in the system.

Torthese and other ends theinvention` consists in-the novel features and combinations of parts to be hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic View illustrating a heating plant embodying my improvements; .and Fig. 2 isa modied form of my invention.

To illustrate one form of my invention, I have shown inFig. lof the drawings a heating system comprising a heaterA l0, shown diagrammati-- cally, :from whichzthehot water rises rthrough a pipe Isl .toachamber I2, from which it is carried by the ,pipe 113 .to-asupplyiheader 14. 'From the supply header .a series of pipes l5 :lead to the individualrroom.radiators fl.6,.and from these radi.- atorS .return ,pipes all lead to the return .header L8. 1t will ,be apparent that While only two room radiators Aareshown in the drawings, .as many as' required ,may .be ,attached to :the system, .and usually there will be a supply `pipe A|15 and a return .pipe l1 foreach of the radiators L6 .em-

ployed.

-From ythe return header 1,8 a return pipe i119 leads through a Acheck .valve 120 to acirculating pump 3.21, and thence through ,-a pine 22 t0 :arl inlet ,pipe 23 of the heater HJ, g-tghus -completing the'circuit.

The heater .I0 may vloe. of any preferred form, preferably an oil-burning heater such ,as shown, forexarnple, vin my co-pending application Serial No.'3'7 1,5171, -filed December 24, 1940. The-circulatins ,pump v21 Will preferably be y e1eetrically driven'and controlled yfrom a room thermostat, so ,thatavhen ;the temperature of Vtheroom `falls belowffa certain point the circulator will be started andcause :a circulation of Water from -the heater through the radiators and return. As indicated, theA check valve -2-0 -Will permit Ya -iiow 'of `Water inthe pipe YIll towardfthe Ycirculatingpump 52|., or toward the heater If0 in the .direction induced by the circulator, but l:will prevent circulationof thewaterY in the vopposite direction,I and wil1;pre vent vgravity Acirculation of s -hot Water through"v the radiators when the circulator is notin operation.

Afuidthermorneter or thermostatic .element 24 :is lplaced in the ychamber I2 so as to Ibe subject Ato the Atemperature of r.the water ther-ein. The member 24.. communicates through a tube 25 with.,a.contro1l.26 which will serveas an-upper 11min controler .the system. 'Irhat isfif the water inthe chamber .I2rises above y,a given temperature, -the .control ,26 y.will .act, to cut` off i the currenttdthe .oil burner .of ,the heater l-D,.'and ythus ac t as,.a,.safe ty control to prevent-overheating.

f The fburneris .placedin operation together with thecirculator whenever theroorn thermostat calls for heat, andrlikewise when Y,domestic hot -water isdrawniromthe system, as V,will he'hereinafter explained. vAs .the heating of the waterfis substantially instantaneous and no storage of 4hot Water.,is usually required, a ,lowerlimi-tqcontrol maybe dispensed with. Y .V i

.Thepipe 23v is connectedY throughla branch-.pipe 21 and a check valve L28 to .the oitywater-:supply 29, the check valve' being so disposed that water will be freely admitted to the pipe 21 from the pipe 29, but will not flow freely in the opposite direction. The valve clapper may be pierced as at 28ste permit pressure developed in the heating system to expand slowly into the water supply system. The system may be drained by the pipe 30 .connected to thepipe 23 by means of the valve 3I, which valve is normally kept closed, and opened only when draining is desired. In order to prevent pressure in the system rising to an excessive point, a pressure relief valve 32 isV provided in a pipe 33 which connects the return pipe 22 with a pipe 34 leading to the drain 30.

Adjacent the chamber I2 and in communication therewith is an expansion chamber 36 which may permit the expansion of the Water against a conned quantity of air. This chamber may .be connected with the drain pipe 34 through a normally closed valve 31, so that the .chamber 36 may be blown out when desired.

Domestic hot water may be drawn from the system through a pipe 40 connected to the hot Water chamber I2 at one end, and leading at its other end to a'mixing valve 4I within which the hot water from the chamber I2 is mixed with cold Water entering the mixing valve through a pipe 42 which communicates with the pipe 29 of the city water supply system. From the mixing valve 4I a pipe 43 controlled by a valve 44 leads to the faucet from which the Water is drawn, the valve 44 being of the variable orice type so as to regulate therrate of flow of hot water from the.

system. In order that the burner may be set into operation when hot water is drawnrfrom the l system, although the room system may not call for heat, as, for example, during summer weather, a pressure control device 45 may be employedV which is connected Vby the pipe 46 with the dol mestic hot waterV outlet pipe 43. This pressure device 45 is of well-known form, and will operate when the pressure in the pipe 43 reaches a minimum figure to start the burner of the furnace, and Will also serve to cut out the burner when the pressure reaches a certain maximum gure. Thus if domestic hot Water is drawn from the system through pipe 43, the pressure willfall to such an extent as to set the burner in operation, and itl will be continued in operation until the hot Water faucet is shut off, at which time the normal pres- Y sure in pipe 43 will be restored.

Inorder to provide means for draining or clearing out each of the radiators individually, each of the pipes I'I is provided with a shut-off valve 50, the valves preferably being located ,adjacent the return header I 8, so that all maybe operated from a single point. The return header is also connected through a pipe 5I controlled by valve 52 with the pipe 34 leading to the'drain, so that the header may be drained by openingV the valve 52. Preferably the valves will Vbe capable of a variable adjustment so as to permit any desired rate of flow from the radiator to the header so asy to restrict this ow to any extent, or to shut it off entirely. It may be desirable, for example, to

t restrict the ow through certain of the radiators I 6, and this may be done by means of the valvesV 59, ,or when draining one of the radiators the remainder of the valves may be'closed entirely to shut off any flow through the remaining radiators.

As win be apparent, it is possible with this arrangement to drain any one or all of ythe radiators if they become lled with air or sediment,

.and if draining'is found desirable for any other reason. This may be done in the following manner:

When the heating plant is in operation, the valves 5U will usually stand in open or partially open position, and the valve 52 will be closed. If, however, it is desired to drain one or more of the radiators I6, all of the valves 50 will rst be closed, so as to prevent drainage from the radiators into the return header. The valve 52 Will then be opened to permit draining of the header into the drain 30. IAt .this time a check may be made of the check valve 20 to determine Whether or not it is preventing a flow in the pipev I9. If the check valve is acting properly when the valve 52 is opened, with the valves 50 closed, the return header I8 will be drained, but thereafter the now will stop. If, however, the check valve 20 is not functioning, water would be drawn from the system, which would be replenished from the city water supply 29, and the continued flow of Water from the header would at once give an indicationof this fact. With the valve 52 opened, the valves 50 may be opened and closed indi-v vidually to `completely flush out any one of the radiators I6. It will, of course, be understood that as the water is drawn from the radiators it Y will be replenished from the city water supply, which is always in communication with the heating system, so that one of thevalves 50 will vbe left open only long enough to flush out'l the radiator. That valve may then be closed and another opened until all of the radiators have been drained, or as many drained asis desired,A It will be understood that in the usual practice only one of the valves 5I] is openedy for drainage at any one time. After the draining operation has been completed the valve 52 isY closed, and al1 ofV the Valves 50 are openedY to permitthe heating system to function in the usual manner.'

In Fig. 2 of the drawings I have shown a slightly modied form of my invention, wherein a plurality of heating systems are supplied withwhot water from a single source or heating unit, the heating systems being so arranged that ythe heat exchangers or radiators of any one group may be nushed out independently of the other group,

and wherein each group is controlled by?, singlev valve. Y

In this modification the heating systems are supplied from a heater through a pipe I I3 which corresponds to the pipe I3 shown in Fig, 1. This pipe leads from the heater to a'main supply header II4, which in turn through pipes II4a supplies auxiliary headers 2I4 andr ZIM, each of` the auxiliary headers being adapted to serve as Y the main supply for one ofY the heating systems,`

ing pump, which pipe I I9 corresponds to the pipe I9shoWninFig. 1.

Each of the return pipes. II'I and` II'Ia isprovided with a control valve 250 adjacent the auxiliary return headers, which valvesmay be of the variable orice type so that the flow through these pipes may be restricted to any desired extent, or

shut off entirely. Likewise, the pipes H82 leading from the auxiliary return headers to the main return header are provided with similar valves |50 located adjacent the main return header. These Valves |50 serve to shut off entirely the water through the respective heating systems and radiators incdrporated therein, or to regulate this flow to the desired extent. 'Ihe main return header ||8 is connected to the drain through a pipe |34 which is controlled by the shut-oli valve |31, which valve will be normally closed during the operation of the heating plant.

If it is desired to shut off the flow of hot Water through any one of the heating systems, thel corresponding Valve |50 may be closed, and this valve may likewise be set at the desired position to regulate or restrict the ow through one of the heating systems if desired. The valves 250 may be likewise operated to restrict or close the flow through any one of the radiators of the respective systems.

If it is desired to ush out the radiators of one of the systems, the valve |50 of the other system will rst be closed so as to prevent the draining of water from that system. Thereafter, the valves 250 of the system to be purged or drained will be closed, and the valve |31 opened to the drain. The valves 250 may then be opened and closed, one at a time, so as to drain the individual radiators belonging to that system. It will be seen that with this arrangement it is only necessary to operate one of the valves |50 to close oliD the corresponding heating system, and it is not necessary to operate each of the valves 250 connected to the individual radiators of such system. If a large number of radiators is supplied from an auxiliary header, this results in a considerable convenience.

While I havev shown and described some preferred embodiments of my invention, it will be understood that it is not to be limited to all the details shown, but is capable of modication and variation within the spirit of the invention and within the scope of the claims.

What I claim is:

1. A heating system comprising heating means, radiation elements, supply pipes connecting the heating means with the radiation elements, a return header, a return pipe connecting each of said radiation elements with said header, a return conduit connecting said header with the heating means to complete the circuit, a regulable shut-off valve in each of said return pipes,

valve-controlled means for draining said header, circulating means in said return conduit, a check valve in the conduit between the circulating means and the header, and means placing said system in constant communication wiith a source of water supply under pressure.

2. A heating system comprising heating means, radiation elements, supply pipes connecting the heating means with the radiation elements, a return header, a return pipe connecting each of said radiation elements with said header, a return conduit connecting said header with the heating means to complete the circuit, a regulable shut-off valve in each of said return pipes, Valve-controlled means for draining said header, circulating means in said return conduit, a check valve in the conduit between the circulating means and the header, and means providing a source of Water supply under pressure in constant communication with said return conduit between the check valve and the heating means.

3. A heating system comprising heating means and a plurality of heating circuits, each circuit containing a plurality of radiation elements, supply pipes leading from the heating means to said circuits, a return header for each of said circuits and return pipes connecting said headers with the heating means, individual return pipes connecting said radiation elements with said return headers, a shut-off valve in each of said individual return pipes adjacent the headers to which said pipes are connected respectively, a shut-01T valve in each of the return pipes between the headers and the heating means, and means for draining said return pipes.

4. A heating system comprising heating means and a plurality of circuits each including a plurality of radiation elements, supply means to carry the heating fluid from the heating means to the radiation elements, an auxiliary return header for each of said circuits, return pipes connecting each header with the radiation elements of the corresponding circuit, a regulable shut-orf valve in each of said return pipes adjacent said headers, a main return header in communication with said heating means, a pipe connecting each of said auxiliary headers with the return header, a regulable shut-off valve in each of said lastnamed pipes, and means for draining said main return header.

CLYDE W. COLBY. 

